Princess

Icy foreboding had Severus strangled. The last he seen this pathetic excuse of a man he was only too busy licking Potters' and Blacks' boots, therefore, him being here, in the very heart of a Death Eater sabbath might only mean something horrible. Despite the fact that Pettigrew remained all crouched and jittery, it was clear that he was here of his own will, not magicaly - or any other way - restrained, and something akin hunger shon from his ugly, watery eyes. 

"My faithful Death Eaters" the Dark Lord began, spreading his arms wide towards his subjects. Severus involuntary shuddered.

"As you all know, thanks to Avery here, a certain prophecy came to my awareness. A foolish thing, suggesting that there might be a one, with the power to defeat me" The way the words were spoken it was plain that they were allowed - why, compelled even - to laugh at the absurdity of such claim, and so that's right what they all did; round of a sycophantic laughter rushed through the meadow. Severus laughed too. 

"Nevertheless, tonight I am going to fulfill the prophecy, for there is no man with the ability to conquer me, Lord Voldemort, the greatest wizard of all time" He rose his hands upwards again, achieving the dramatic effect he headed for quite spotlessly. No one dared to even breath, the air virtually pulsing with static electricity, as they all waited for their master to continue. Slight breeze ripped through the meadow and Severus felt all of sudden terribly cold. 

"It was mere trifle to uncloak about whom was the oracle speaking, yet I admit, I faced certain difficulty in tracking my target down, undoubtedly due to an intervention from Dumbledore" Dark Lord rolled the name around in his mouth and then spat it out with obvious distaste.

Severus had to strain his ears to hear over the rumbling of blood rushing to his temples. He had a terrible feeling that he knew where this was heading, but surely, it could not be truth, could it? Dumbledore wouldn't allow such stupidity and even Potter wasn't so dense, as to put this incompetent weakling in to a position, where he could betray his family. The said weakling fidgeted and shuffled by the Dark Lords' side, seeming as though he was about to piss himself, though Severus could not determine whether it was out of fear or delight.

The Dark Lord continued his speech, gradually confirming Severus' worst fears.  Heading his warning, the Potters really went in to hiding, securing themselves with the Fidelius charm. And as a Secret Keeper, of all people at their disposal they decided to entrust their lives in to the hands of this filthy, treacherous whoreson, who was now about to solemnly sell them out.

No. He could not let that happen. He had to save Lily. He had to save her at all costs. A heartbeat was enough for Severus to decide.

"Avada Kedavra!" He bellowed, striking like an attacking cobra. But whether it was due to Pettigrews' constant, quiet movement, or because of Severus' uncontrollable tremors, he missed. The one and only shot he had to avert the looming disaster harmlessly sizzled past the mans' right ear and disappeared in to the woods. For half of a second the time stopped, everyone - even the Dark Lord - momentarily dumbfolded by surprise and confusion. And then it began.

From all directions spells erupted, most of the assembled men trying to strike the traitor in their mids, even before Dark Lords' furiously screamed order. Severus dodged and jumped to a side, feeling some curse scorchindg his elbow. Right behind Severus Alecta Carrow was hit by a curse that was ment for him, and that was just enough demonstration for the other Death Eaters to restrain from using the killing curse in such mayhem. Well mostly, Severus amended, as a beam of green light hit the grass right where he stood just a second ago. Bloody hell.

He parred another blow with a swift shield charm, but then, something hit him in to his midsection and the ground tilted dangerously. Everyone was screaming and shouting, but Severus could make no sense out of it. He was hurting and he was terrified. The last thing he intercepted from the massacre scene was the sight of  Lucius, firing a stunning spell towards him but hitting Rosier instead. After that he leaped up with the last of his strength, turned in to a piruete and disapparated.

For split of a second he wanted to rejoice, that against all odds he truly managed the breakneck escape, but something was wrong. Apart from the crushing force of the apparation, something else was gnawing on to him, brutaly trying to tear away his left arm. He tried to scream, but to no avail, as the all engulfing vortex squeezed his rib-cage in iron vice grip. 

He knew what was happening, but there was nothing to turn it away. One of his pursuers latched on to him in the time of his apparation, and now he was carrying him right to Ide through all his wards.

They landed in a heap, in to middle of the quiet, unlit room. Not daring to use his wand, Severus imedilately jumped on to the intruder, trying to bodily restrain him, all the while stricking with his clenched fist everywhere he could reach. Ide woke up and started to cry. After a swift brawle on the floor the Death Eater managed to break free and crawl far enough to use his wand-arm, imedilately firing a killing curse. It missed Severus just by inches and landed in the general direction of wailing Ide.

Severus roared and threw himself on the other man. Despite the fact that he was smaller and lighter of the two, he pinned his oponent to the floor with ferocity. The two men were now tightly interlocked in a violent embrance, both fighting to free the weapon-wielding hand as the first one.

Severus felt massive knuckles press against his sternum, and then tip of a wand being thrust in to his solar plexus, but he did not care, because right then, he managed to release the silver dagger from its scabbard on his waistband.

Only when he slith the bastards' throath open, Severus was able to recognize Rabastan Lestrange.

With his hands still dripping blood he staggered to Ide, franticly lifting her from under the bed- to where she either crawled or fell - and hugged her to his chest tightly. "It's alright" He choked out, repeating this phrase for at least hundredth time since the two of them got acquainted, blatantly lying as usually.

Even though the time was of the essence more than ever before, Severus allowed himself a second to recuperate. It would be of no help to anybody if he'd now, after everything, splinched them both in to a bloody mush.

He buried his face into the soft curls of the sobbong girl and took couple of deep breaths. He focused only on the warmth emerging from her trembling body and on her scent, which reminded him of a wet sparrow bird, until the black spots that clouded his vision completly ceased. "I'm sorry" He whispered then, tightened his hold even little more and again turned in to the suffocating nothingness of apparation.

Only sheer determination and the crucial purpose of his kept Severus from slipping into unconsciousness. Their landing was rough, Severus' legs buckling immediately upon meeting the ground, his knees colliding rapidly with the dirty cobblestones of Grimmauld Place.

He fastly stood up though, right away bringing Ide to his face in panic. He feared the worst, because upon their arrival she was no more crying. Her eyes were the size of saucers and her face took on an ugly hue, but most importantly; she was breathing. That was, at the moment, the only fact of real importance. The rest could be dealt with later.

Reassured that the girl is alive, Severus set off on run towards the wall of shabby buildings, right where the houses of number 11 and 13 stood. 

The mistake in numbering the shabby townhouses was in place for as long as any of the residing muggles remembered, and it appeared as such even in front of most of the magical population, but Severus could count himself in to the very few who were able to see how the buildings shuffled apart, revealing an old, victorian house - Grimmauld Place number 12. 

Couple of years ago he few times visited the ancestral home of Blacks' along with Regulus during their summer break, thus he was initiated into the secret. He was absolutely sure that the present owner - Regulus' older brother, the last surviving member of the old pureblood family - hadn't the slightest idea about that. Because had he, he would instantly edited his wards, as Sirius Black and Severus shared a long history of nothing but contempt, and under any other circumstances Severus himself would be mortified by the idea of rushing for help to him of all people, yet now, it seemed to be last of the possibilities.

The last two weeks made Severus acutely aware of how hard it was to get a hold of Dumbledore when an imediate need arose, and even if he'd be as lucky as to somehow reach out to the man, it would be far too late even if he'd had to wait only a twenty minutes more. The help was needed now, and despite the loathing he felt for Black, he was sure that the man would do everything in his power to save James Potter and his family.

Severus ran up the worn set of front steps, taking them by two, and with heart pounding reached for the silver knocker in shape of a twisted serpent. It took only few seconds before the black painted doors opened, and Severus let out strangled groan. It seemed that finally, the destiny decided to throw him a bone, because next to the lean figure of dumbstruck Sirius Black stood no one else than Albus Dumbledore. Even the old mans' face at once contorted with confused shock - something quite unfamiliar for Dumbledore - upon seeing them.

True, he had to make quite the sight, all battered and clutching a toddler in his bloodied hands. 

While Blacks' mouth remained stupidly agape, Dumbledore quickly recovered,  for a second he turned his sight towards the girl in Severus' arms, an undefinetable emotion flickered through his eyes, and then attempted to spoke up, but Severus cut him off. "Pettigrew is working for the Dark Lord! I tried to eliminate him, but he escaped. He sold out the Potters' to Dark Lord" He fired rapidly despite being completly out of breath. 

Black shook his head and began to oppose, but what was essential; Dumbledore clearly believed him. "You gotta go Dumbledore, you have to save them!" Severus urged in husky voice, sounding nothing like himself.

"Peter would never..." Black started arogantly, but shut up upon seeing Dumbledores' expression. "You surely don't believe the Death Eat..." He tried again, just to be once more cut off.

"Stay here, all three of you" Dumbledore ordered with all his authority and basiclly shoved Severus and Ide over the threshold in to the house.

"Wait, if James and Peter are in danger I'm coming with you!" Black pressed past Severus, causing him to nearly lost his balance, for he was constantly trying to fight off the ever increasing bouts of nauseating vertigo.

"Wait here, all of you! We don't have time" Dumbledore repeated, his brilliant eyes flashing with unpreceeded intensity. With that he ran out of the house, down the front steps and was gone.